Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

7 reviews

becca_w_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Bullying, Biphobia, Grief, Classism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Drug use

blackveilbeccy's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed this second instalment! It was even better than the first. This had lots of tropes used well - tragic backstory, miscommunications, friends to enemies to lovers - plus the awesome ensemble cast of the first book. I liked the love interest in this one a whole lot and also loved the quirkiness of the geeky heroine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Addiction, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Medical trauma

nicolesreadingbooks's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Biphobia

ellajoy12's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Domestic abuse

plumpaperbacks's review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’ve done nothing today except read this book, and it was exactly what I needed right now. The Dating Plan is a fun, lighthearted romance that touches on themes of abuse and self-worth in a very respectful way. Both Daisy and Liam are well-written protagonists, and their romance is one both sweet and steamy that I rooted for from the beginning. I loved it, as well as the side characters, the various friendships, and Daisy’s well-intentioned but chaotic family. This is definitely a book I’ll buy, and likely one I’ll eventually reread. It’s gotten me interested in the marriage of convenience trope, and marked Desai as an author I want to follow.

“‘We fell in love because it was meant to be. And you became mine at a bus stop in the rain.’”

How cute, am I right?!

Representation

• Indian-American protagonist and side characters
• minor bisexual side character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Body shaming, Medical content, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Addiction

There’s a brief mention of a car accident that killed Liam’s father, prior to the story, and a motorcycle accident which occurs a little over halfway through the book. Daisy is hospitalized, but neither she nor Liam are seriously injured.

simpleexplorations's review

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Infidelity and Medical content

teamoxfordcomma's review

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I waffle between giving this a 3.75 and a 4.

This was sweet. I liked the vibrant cultural representation a lot – it's perhaps my favorite part of these books, seeing the Patel family unit (and, by proxy, the Indian culture) operate, since it is so markedly different than my own culture/family/experience.

Too, the characters were funny, memorable, and openly flawed. There were definitely some times I was groaning in frustration at them, but if I didn't, they'd be boring. (I was a little peeved throughout, though, with Layla, the protagonist of the first novel, for being so vehemently unsupportive. I understand why she acted that way given their history with Liam, but still. At a certain point, it felt more like stubbornness than looking-out-for-you-ness.)

In the simplest of terms, I liked it. Not something I am going to be screaming about from the rooftops, but for sure a sweet romance that was easy to read and made me smile.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, and Physical abuse